Miss Marple Takes a Vacation

She's gonna getcha!

I don't know what you're going to do with me. When I look at some of my older posts, I can tell I was trying to impress you with what books I was reading. Let's be honest. The last five books I've read have been by Agatha Christie. So, I guess if you don't have a problem with that, we can still be friends!

I bought a handful of Christies at a terrific used book store earlier this summer. Why someone would want to de-Christie their bookshelves is beyond me, but I get the better end of the stick, so to speak.

Despite it's mid-century green cover, A Caribbean Mystery was a first-rate read. Miss Marple takes a vacation to the West Indies and gets herself mixed up in murder.

In general I can figure out Miss Marple mysteries quicker than her Poirot stories, but this one got me. It shouldn't have, but what can I say. Plus it had some great words!

doyen - the oldest or most experienced of a group.

houri - a beautiful virgin in the muslim afterlife.

badinage - playful repartee of speech

datura - plant from India, also an hallucinogenic.

Who Done It?

Didn't I warn you that I couldn't stay away from Ms. Christie? Thanks to my good friend, Meg, for cleaning off her shelf and letting me read it!

I find this collection of short stories more easily solvable than some of her other works, but there are one or two that did fool me. And one or two words that caught my eye...

Torpid - dull, slow, sluggish.

Florid - flowery in style; or a ruddy, flushed complexion. Christie usually uses the latter definition when describing characters.

Piquant - spicy or stimulating; also charming.

Assiduously - with unrelenting attention. One must apply oneself assiduously to solve these mysteries.